Ramadan Rage 2019: Jihadis Kill 165, Wound 145 In First Week

Islamic terrorists, mainly the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), carried out more than 30 attacks in over ten countries during the first week of the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, killing at least 166 people and injuring 155 others, a Breitbart News count shows.

That means, so far, jihadis have killed an average of 24 people and injured 22 others each day during the first week of the holy month.

In 2019, Ramadan, a time when Islamic extremists believe Allah doubly rewards martyrdom and jihad, began at sunset on May 5 and is expected to last through sundown on June 4.

Breitbart News’ count excludes attacks that took place on May 5. This week, the Ramadan death toll covers 33 incidents that took place in ten countries between May 6 and 12: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Pakistan, Kenya, Somalia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria.

During the first week of the holiest month for Muslims, Breitbart News determined that Afghanistan (61 deaths, 44 injuries) and Iraq (29 deaths, 27 injuries) were the deadliest countries.

Afghanistan alone accounts for more than 35 percent of all deaths and about 30 percent of all injuries.

Despite the complete fall of the so-called ISIS caliphate in March, U.S. military and intelligence officials believe the group remains a significant threat in its home base of Iraq and Syria and beyond. So far, ISIS is the most prolific jihadi group during Ramadan, responsible for 13 attacks that left 47 people dead and 42 others injured. All but one (Nigeria) of the incidents took place in Iraq and Syria.

Jihadist groups urge their followers and supporters to intensify their efforts to castigate infidels during the holy month, arguing that Allah exceptionally rewards martyrdom on Ramadan.

In the days leading up to Ramadan, ISIS’ elusive leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, resurfaced in his first video in five years, urging Muslims to carry out more attacks as he pledged to take revenge on those who demolished the group’s so-called caliphate that once spawned across swathes of Iraq and Syria.

“Our battle today is one of attrition and stretching the enemy. They should know that jihad is ongoing until the day of judgment,” Baghdadi declared, adding, “Truthfully, the battle of Islam and its people against the cross [Christians] and its people is a long battle.”

In rejecting a Ramadan truce offer by the Afghan government early this month, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, similarly proclaimed, “As jihad is … the best part of worship, doing it on Ramadan is rewarded more than in other months.”

The vast majority of victims during Ramadan are Muslims.

Breitbart News primarily gleans its data for its Ramadan death tally from the Religion of Peace website, but it also relies on media and government reports.

News outlets and officials may update some of the fatality figures as some of the injured victims succumb to their injuries, triggering a change in the count after Breitbart News publishes this report.

Most Muslims follow the peaceful Ramadan tradition of abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, having sex, and other physical needs each day, starting from before the break of dawn until sunset. However, the number of attacks at the hands of jihadis tends to escalate during the month when compared to other times during the year.

May 7 — Pendjari National Park, Benin — Unknown jihadis from neighboring Burkina Faso kidnap two French tourists across the border in Benin and kill their guide in the Pendjari National Park that straddles both countries.

May 10 — Borno, Nigeria — ISIS West Africa kills 11 troops in the town of Gajiganna.

May 10 — Bari, Somalia —Suspected ISIS wounds ten in a failed assassination attempt against a local judge in the port city of Bosaso.

May 11 — Borno, Nigeria — Boko Haram attacks the Moranti village near Maiduguri, leaving nine dead, at least one wounded, and four missing.

May 11 — Balochistan, Pakistan — Ethnic separatist group known as Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) storm stormed a five-star hotel in the port city of Gwadar, killing at least five and wounding six others.

May 11 — Baghdad, Iraq — Suspected ISIS-linked bomb blast kills one child, wounds two others in the Jisr Diyala neighborhood located in the southern part of the capital.

May 12 — Hama, Syria — Suspected former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fires rocket into Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, killing five, including four children and a woman, and injuring six other children. *